Method and article for lubricating sewing machines and the like



Aug. 4, 1959 METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR LUBRICATING SEWING MACHINES AND THE.LIKE Filed Feb. 4, 1958 W. W. ALEXANDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORWILL/AM M ALEXANDER ATTORNEY 4, 1959 w. w. ALEXANDER 2,897,774

METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR LUBRICATING SEWING MACHINES AND THE LIKE FiledFeb, 4, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILL/AM $4. ALEXANDER YQshgmcYom/nw ATTORNEY nited tates 7 2,897,774 Patented Aug. 4, 1959METHOD AND ARTICLE FQR LUBRICATING SEWING MACliS AND THE LIKE William W.Alexander, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to The Distributors Group, Inc,Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application February 4, 1953,Serial No. 713,172 2 Claims. or. 111-256 This invention relates to thelubrication of sewing machine elements, and more particularly, to theconcept of applying a lubricant to certain functioning and expendableparts of the sewing machine heretofore impossible to lubricate withoutdeleterious effect on the material being sewn.

This application for patent is a continuation in part of my copendingpatent application Serial No. 602,410 Lubricating System, filed August6, 1956, now abandoned, in the United States.

Broadly, the invention comprises locating interme diate the threadsupply and the needle, a source of silicones. Upon moving the threadthrough the silicones in operation the thread is efiectively coated withthe silicones lubricant and the thread itself thus serves as a carrierfor the silicones so that as the thread passes points of contact withsewing machine parts, each of the surfaces contacted will receive asilicones lubricant coating. Hence, upon the sewing machines all of theguides, the needle groove and eye, foot and hook surfaces receive asilicones coating. Since the desired silicones are colorless,transparent, and stable in the presence of dyes, there will be nostaining or other objectionable effects on the finished work.Furthermore, since the present viscosities of silicones coating resistsheat, even at the highest sewing speeds, there will be no needle burn,and as the silicones will not permit residues, lint or foreign matter toadhere to the sewing surfaces, charring, fusing or clogging issubstantially eliminated in the needle eye.

I am particularly concerned at this time with a blend of Dow CorningFluid 200 having 40% of the fluid at a viscosity of 200 centistokes with60% of the same fluid having a viscosity of 350 centistokesflash pointat 600 F. and other well known characteristics found in Dow CorningSilicone Notes, Reference 3-106, January 1957, subject, Dow CorningSilicone Fluids.

Since silicones having these particular viscosities are non-inflammable,fire hazard is eliminated through the use of the present invention.Silicones are non-toxic and accordingly they may be handled safely bysewing machine operators; moreover, as the silicones will not readilydeteriorate nor evaporate as other lubricants, the units may be handilystored over extended periods of time, an important contrast to the wasteand dissipation storage and use of ordinary petroleum-base sewingmachine lubricants.

Inasmuch as the silicones coat but do not soak the fibers of the thread,there will be no loss of thread strength and the silicones action on thethread allows the threads to be drawn down tightly thus making cleanerand tighter stitches.

It is an object of this invention to provide suitable means for use onsewing machines and the like whereby threads passing through the deviceand which are used in stitching may be lubricated, said threadssimultaneously and continuously lubricating and cooling working parts ofthe device with which said threads come in contact.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a suitablelubricating materials retaining device for threads used in heavy dutyand high speed sewing machines, said device being detachable andadjustable with respect to the disposition of moving threads or threadand working elements of the device, restraining said threads againstbacklash and twisting and without materially affecting tensionadjustment.

A further objective of invention is to provide a kit for use on domesticand industrial sewing machines and the like, which may be adapted toconform to such machines having varying contour, the present deviceserving to lubricate expendable threads, eliminating fusing of syntheticfibers both in thread and stitched fabric, reducing thread breakage,avoiding needle burn, and clogging in the needle eye due to friction athigh speed operation, and eliminating stain to the stitched fabric dueto lubricants and/or fusing.

From a study of the ensuing description, the various objects andadvantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to aperson skilled in the art, and with the foregoing and other objects inview, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in thecombination of parts now to be more fully described. and claimed.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of thisapplication wherein similar numerals indicate the same parts, and, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the invention incorporated;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of holder for the silicones;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 33 of Figure1;

Figure 4 is a view of the holder shown in Figures 2 and 3 attached to acommercial machine.

A sewing machine is indicated generally at 10, the machine depictedbeing a single thread type primarily for domestic use, but, it is to beunderstood that the machine may be of any type, either single ormultiple thread. A spool of thread 11 is shown to be supported by needlecarrying arm 12, thread 13 passing sequentially through guide 14,tensioner 15, eye of needle 17, presser foot and hook of the looperunit. Intermediate the thread spool 11 and the tensioner 15, the arm 12supports a lubricant carrying unit 20. See Figure 1.

The unit 29 comprises a holder 21, preferably rectangular in outline,formed of an inert plastic or related material, the holder having aremovable cover or lid 22 of the same material. Holder 21 includes sidewalls 23, end walls 24 and a bottom 25, the bottom being concave in thetransverse direction to permit the holder to fit the contour of the arm12 properly. Additionally, the bottom may have a resilient spongeousouter covering 34 to conform substantially completely to the contour ofthe machine.

The side walls 23 are provided with a plurality of equally spacedparallel slots 26, the slots extending from the upper edges of suchwalls to points at least onehalf the height of the side walls. The endwalls 24 are formed with similar slots 27 although these latter slotsare located closer together. The slots of the respective walls arediametrically opposed and serve mainly to guide the thread or threadsthroughout the interior of the holder 21.

A felt pad 28 impregnated and saturated with silicones is fitted intothe holder, the upper surface of the pad being slightly above the lowerextremities of the slots in the Walls. The thread 13 extends through onepair of the aligned slots 27 in the end walls and rests on the uppersurface of the pad 28. A second pad 29, similar to the pad 28 is thenplaced on top of the pad 28 thereby sandwiching thread 13 between thepads thus ensuring that the entire surface of the moving thread withinthe holder will be coated with silicones.

The upper edges of the side and end walls are recessed to form ahorizontal inner shoulder The thickness of the contiguous pads 28 and 29is such that the upper surface of pad 29 is approximately flush withrectangular shoulder 30. The purpose of the shoulder 30 andcorresponding covered interior is to insure that no substantial pressureis exerted on the pads per se. The cover may also be correspondinglyrecessed about its perimeter as at 31 so that the cover interior willrest upon the shoulder 30 and pad 29 assuring first, that the pads willbe maintained in surrounding contact with the thread, and secondly, thata substantially air-tight seal is maintained between the holder and thecover to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the holder.

It will be further noted that the cover 22 is provided with pairs ofdiametrically opposed circular posts 32, with one pair locatedapproximately equidistant of the sides of the cover and the other pairat the mid-point of the ends, the posts being preferably adjacent theouter edges of the cover. The posts 32 define one facet of the means forattaching the holder 21 to the needle arm 12. The other facet of theattaching means includes a resilient band 33, such as a rubber band orthe like. To make the connection, the loop at one end of the band isplaced in engagement with one post, the band is then passed beneath thearm 12 of the machine and the other loop is placed in engagement withthe opposite post 32. It will be readily appreciated that this is a verysimple means for the attachment of the holder. In addition to securingthe holder to the machine, the cooperation between the posts and theband serves to attach the cover to the holder.

By virtue of the attaching means, the holder may be attached to themachine in the horizontal, vertical or any angular position so that theholder may be used with machines having various types of thread feed tothe needle. In addition, the holder may be mounted on the needle armwith the longer dimension of the holder locate/d transversely of the arminstead of longitudinally as shown in Figure 1.

It should be mentioned that the slots 26 and 27 are of suflicient widthto permit the thread to pass freely therethrough yet prevent thesilicones from leaving the interior of the holder. The slots can be ofvarying shape [and, in lieu of slots it will be apparent that the wallsof the holder could be provided with aligned holes at the proper level.

In operation, when the moving thread passes through and leaves theholder 21, it is coated with silicones, and, each time that the threadcontacts a surface of the machine, a coating of silicones remains on thesurface. Thus the guides, the tensioner, the needle groove and eye, thefoot and the hook of the looper, which parts have always providedproblems in lubricating, continuously receive the silicones coating.Heretofore, in sewing machine lubrication, various means have beenemployed to apply the lubricant continuously to the machine parts.Wicks, conduits, special attachments and the like have been employed butnone of these prior devices have lubricated the needle groove and eyeand the looper hook satisfactorily. We have solved these problems byusing the thread itself as the means of carrying the lubricant to theparts in question, and by employing silicones which have thecharacteristics described above. The colorless, odorless lubricanthaving these characteristics is a blend of dimethyl silicones fluid of200 and 350 centistokes viscosity, in amounts of and 60% respectively.These silicones, unlike ordinary petroleum lubricants are stable at hightemperatures, and hence where suitably blended provide a heat barrier tothe surface of such fast moving parts as the needle and its eye and alsolubricate same for facile operation. Since threads contact the needleshaft, groove, eye and point, each of these critical portions must belubricated against the formation of burrs, and the formation of foreigndeposits, which result in clogging of needle eye and distortion of thegroove. The desired blend of fluid silicones serves to form the heatbarrier (silicone of 350 centisokes) and to suitably lubricate thecritical areas mentioned (fluid silicone of 200 centistokes). In effect,the unusual characteristics of blended silicones have been combined totake advantage of the peculiar molecular characteristic in the highviscosity fluid silicone to ward off heat due to friction, and toutilize the peculiar molecular characteristic of the lower viscosityfluid silicone to do the lubricating job; all as opposed to the variedmolecular construction found in petroleum lubricants, with attendantdisadvantage.

In connection with certain types of commercial embroidery machineswherein the needles are stationary, and are horizontally disposed, Wepropose to make use of an elongated channel-shaped holder having therequisite number of slots in the side walls, but the ends of the holderare imperforate. The channel-shaped holder may be suitably supported bythe machine frame between the spools and the needles. This assemblyfunctions in approximately the same fashion as that described above.

Another important feature of the holder 21, particularly in the case ofsewing machines used in the home, is that the holder may also functionin the nature of a pin holder. The largest percentage of home machinesis of the single thread type, thus numerous slots in the walls of theholder are not used. The housewife can insert pins or needles in theother slots, and by the application of the silicone coating to the pinsor needles, the same may be inserted more easily into the material.Furthermore, the pins and needles by virtue of the coating are notsubject to oxidation and they do not rust.

From the foregoing description, it is believed quite manifest that wehave provided a simple means of using the thread of the machine as amedium for carrying the lubricant to parts of the sewing machineheretofore substantially impossible to lubricate without any adverseeffects either to the machine, its operation or the material being sewn.In fact, it has beenascertained that better and tighter stitches can bemade with a thread coated with the silicones. The devices may be readilyincorporated with all types of machines, improving substantially themaintenance thereon, and present no problems from the maintenanceviewpoint. Aside from the primary purpose of lubricating the machine,the device may be used to improve and protect the needles or pins aswell as increase the effectiveness of other implements, such as irons,mixers and the like.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the device may be used formultiple needle machines wherein a plurality of threads aresimultaneously drawn into the device and passed through opposedapertures either in parallel relation or crossing one another.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, usable in association with movingthread passing through sewing machines and wherein thread-contactedelements of such machines are lubricated by the moving thread itself: aliquid silicones lubricant carrying unit removably adapted to selectivepositioning on such machine between a source of thread supply and itsstation of thread tensioning, the silicones of said unit comprising ablend of fluid silicones within the range of 200-350 centistokesviscosity, said blend having substantial percentages respectively offluid silicone of a viscosity of approximately 200 centistokes and fluidsilicone of a viscosity of approximately 350 centistokes, opposedsilicones saturated thread lubricant pads within the unit, said unitincluding means for confining the pads whereby the pads may envelop andcoat the thread without soaking the said thread, said means comprising aholder for the pads including a cover therefor,

and said holder including at least one thread inlet aperture and atleast one aligned thread outlet aperture, both said apertures beingdisposed adjacent opposed surfaces of the pads, means on the containerfacilitating selective positioning thereof upon the machine asaforesaid.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which the percentages of siliconesin the blend are respectively 40% 200 centistokes silicone and 60% 350centistokes silicone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,143,010 Woodward June 15, 1915 1,703,781 Rubel Feb. 26, 1929 1,856,882Myers May 3, 1932 2,316,647 Giglio Apr. 13, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES TheRayon Industry, Second Edition, copyrighted 1929,

pages 657 and 658.

(Copy in Div. 15, US. Patent

